Currently, fingerprint detection technologies are limited to trial-and-error techniques to locate a fingerprint-bearing surface, and yet more trial-and-error techniques to bring the fingerprint into relief against the surface to render it visible/scannable.
Optical detection of latent fingerprints is critically dependent on image contrast. Latent fingerprints are very low contrast objects and therefore using only optical techniques they are difficult to resolve/collect. Lifting latent fingerprints often requires the use of chemical techniques (i.e. processing by ninhydrin) and significant time (3+ days) to lift the fingerprints, which may damage the surface and/or destroy any underlying DNA or material evidence included in the fingerprint (i.e. traces of whatever the person leaving the print may have handled previously)